"Of course, I also understand how an individual could see others doing it to them and emulate. But then the people who began the snarking really have no right to complain, do they?"

Hmmmm....really have no idea what you are talking about here......are you talking about someone who copy cats or someone who becomes hateful and justifies that because they think someone's doing it to them? That sounds a little like a "neiner, neiner" response, and certainly not terribly mature. Regardless, this really is a potential drift off topic, so let's get back on track.

"I learned early that some sport people wouldn't know a real working dog if it fell out of the sky and hit them smack on the head"

"as for the food vs toy issue.. well, i wouldn't expect either to be used in competitive venues but.."

I wouldn't either - in NALC trials no food/toys/etc are allowed - in fact the lady who runs it recently lectured the competitors at a show on how people who can't manage their dogs without "help" should stay home until they are trained. Now, this was a little harsh, but I think that it demonstrates a difference in the criteria between what is considered a competitive venue and one that is more....enjoyment oriented?
I find it interesting that people can send in videos and receive titles based on them - am I getting that right? I do understand people not having access ti different competition venues, but a sequence on video vs a sequence around multiple dogs, in a ring, and with a huge number of distractions - and both end up with titles? Seems a little unfair to the dogs dealing with the distractions, and the owners who put time & energy into their dogs to get their training to that point.

"Cain, didn't you have a similar experience with your own dogs? If I remember correctly, you had a similar problem with your own dogs. You allowed them to "discipline" each other:"

Actually, it wasn't even remotely similar, but thank you for bringing up these situations - once I get home, I'll be able to clarify for you what the differences were. Pretty basic stuff actually, but this is really a good demonstration of how someone not directly involved's memory can distort over time......

"..."She wound up relinquishing ownership of the one dog because she would not take my advice" That's a bit presumptive."

It certainly is. Why don't you encourage your "friend" to come to this forum & let us know what really happened? That would be interesting, since, as everyone knows, facts are easily skewed in some folks' memory/over time. Better to have the reality of a situation as opposed to having possibly faulty memory used as an example.

"It's ridiculous to assume that dogs are incapable of fairly delivering and receiving corrections without some sort of psychic damage. Honestly, the more we humans interfere in what could/should/is meant to be normal canine interaction, the more anti-social, "reactive" dogs I see."

"Puppies are corrected relentlessly by mom and their littermates. ALL puppies have been corrected."

This is nothing other than common sense, and hopefully those that are truly involved in what's best for a dog realize it. Dogs are MUCH better at knowing & communicating canine social skills in general than humans are - and as a result, they are MUCH better at teaching puppies basic dog to dog interactions than any human - just stands to reason. To interfere with this intentionally is to facilitate the creation of an unbalanced, socially maladaptive adult.